Oceania

Andrew John Fakaua Ponton, a Tuvaluan film director, has made his debut at the Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival with 'Bati', a boxing drama set in Fiji, bringing to the screen the voices of Pacific culture

The new Revenue Management System has been launched: it is a major national milestone supported by the World Bank, designed to modernize collection and management of public revenue to improve service delivery, transparency, and trust in institutions

Dengue cases have increased significantly across the Pacific this year, with Kiribati seeing an outbreak peak

President Hilda Heine in her keynote speech opening National Ocean Symposium underlined the importance of individual participation and of taking personal and community-level actions to keep the ocean environment healthy

Millions of Kina have been lost in the past two weeks due to power blackouts and internet failures, says the PNG Manufacturing Council, adding that it is not a problem of capacity but of poorly run grids and mismanaged maintenance

New mothers at Belau National Hospital are voicing growing concerns over the hospital’s breastfeeding policy, which mandates that infants are to be fed exclusively breastmilk, highlighting the emotional toll of the policy

National office vacancy average rate has reached 15% as the market fails to absorb the offer of new towers and demand remains weak in key cities; many fear that if working from home came into law it would also slow recovery of the hospitality sector

80% of Ni-Vanuatu are farmers, and PM Jotham Napat acknowledged the work of these men and women, the backbone of the nation, during Vanuatu’s 45th Independence Anniversary celebrations

The Samoa Law Society is calling for electoral rights to be upheld to ensure a free and fair election; in view of upcoming Samoa’s general election on 29 August it reminded that “Universal voting rights are the cornerstone of a democratic country"

The first Nauru citizenships have been granted under new Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program: announced at COP29, it allows investors a second citizenship while supporting climate adaptation and sustainable development in the South Pacific

Students and teachers from Gawa School in the Reef Islands have voluntarily cleaned up the runaway in Lomlom Airport to avoid isolation across Temotu Province, after Solomon Airlines suspended all flights as overgrowth compromised safety of the airstrip

A glimpse of Auckland Transport's future era was unveiled as a new map at Britomart Station gives commuters a preview of the new stops and links available when the long-awaited City Rail Link will open; over-budget and over-time, CRL is nearing completion